The Biju Janta Dal (BJD) candidate in Ward number-59 Chandrasekhar Mallia and his supporters on Sunday evening gheraoed Lingaraj police station here in protest against the police failure to control an Independent candidate and his supporters who did not allow the chief minister Naveen Patnaik to address a campaign meeting in Kapileswar village under Lingaraj police limits.

Mallia’s brother Bhabani Shankar said, an Independent candidate of the same ward Biranchi Narayan Mahasupakar, along with a large group of his supporters blocked the road leading to the spot where the chief minister was to address a campaign rally. The disruption forced the chief minister to cancel the meeting and return from the area.

Bhabani Shankar alleged that the supporters of the Independent candidate ransacked the pandal erected for the CM’s meeting.

“It’s a shameful failure on the part of the police. They should have stepped in and prevented the independent candidate from holding a rally at the same spot where the CM was to address a campaign meeting,” Bhabani Shankar said.

“ We gheraoed the police station not only against the dereliction of duty by the police but also their failure to take any action against the Independent candidate Mahasupakar and his supporters after the incident. We have registered a complaint with the local police station,” he added.

When contacted, the Inspector-in-charge of Lingaraj police station Bidyut Ch Panda and zone Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Pranadhan Mohapatra refused to comment on the issue.